Line #30 Film/BreakerBreaker


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3	''Breaker! Breaker!'' is a 1977 action movie directed by Don Hulette and starring Creator/ChuckNorris in his first lead role.
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5	Norris plays John David "J.D." Dawes, trucker, badass and all-around nice guy. After JD's younger brother, Billy, goes missing in the middle of his first solo freight run, he and his sweet custom van go out to the notorious town of Texas City, California. There he befriends Arlene (Terry O'Connor), a waitress and single mom and the only person in town who isn't openly hostile to him (other than Arney, the mentally challenged gas station attendant). He runs afoul of town patriarch Judge Joshua Trimmings (Creator/GeorgeMurdock) and his band of corrupt deputies led by Sgt. Strode (Don Gentry).
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7	There is a reason this film usually isn't mentioned among Norris' other early works like ''Good Guys Wear Black'' or ''Film/TheOctagon''. The script is threadbare, the acting is sub-par and the entire film has a no-budget exploitation feel (without the exploitation elements).
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9	The film is also available as a ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' Video on Demand download.
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11	!!''Breaker! Breaker!'' contains examples of the following tropes:
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13	* TheBarnum: Judge Josh, who has basically set up his own little fief in Texas City, frequently firing up the citizens with pride for the town and promising prosperity while he exploits them and anyone who comes to Texas City for all they're worth.
14	* BookEnds: A quite ironic set: the movie begins with Trimmings showcasing to the citizens of Texas City the documents he just received that declare the town a full official city and his promise to improve it. The film ends with Texas City dying at the hands of a bunch of heroic truckers [[CarMeetsHouse going full demolition derby]] on the place in revenge for Trimmings' corruption and [[IronicEcho a play back of Trimmings' words over the montage of the burning town]].
15	* CarMeetsHouse: Exaggerated with the truck convoy wrecking Texas City.
16	* TheCavalry: The impromptu convoy of truckers who swoop in and rescue JD. Though they don't really "rescue" JD so much as "cause a commotion that ultimately ends up distracting JD's would-be executioner, allowing him to escape."
17	* DeepSouth: Well, Southern California, not that there's too much of a difference. Texas City is as stereotypical a redneck WretchedHive as you get.
18	* DestinationDefenestration: This film marks the first appearance of Norris' trademark "Jump-kick the bad guy through a window" maneuver.
19	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Billy is warned by JD and others to steer clear of Texas City. One anonymous CB exchange (Strode is on the other end) is all it takes to get Billy to change course and head straight towards it, and into a trap. Once he's "tried" for fraudulent crimes, he also attacks the cops and tries to escape instead of simply paying the annoying but completely affordable $250 fee. Billy took an inconvenience and turned it into ''multiple felonies.''
20	** It should be noted though that $250 in 1977, adjusted for inflation, would equal over $1200, far beyond the amount a working class trucker would carry on their person. Though, that being said, it still would be a better idea to try and raise the money than to fight a bunch of cops and be thrown in jail or worse.
21	* DisproportionateRetribution: When Arlene puts out the call for help, every trucker in range takes the opportunity to ride in and literally destroy the town. ''Somewhat'' justified in that Texas City had a reputation for abusing truckers and stealing their loads, not to mention the early mention by one of JD’s friends that Strode beat her trucker husband so badly that his right side is paralyzed.
22	* TheDragon: Strode, though Deputy Boles is a more proactive villain, with Boles being the one to face JD in the showdown at the climax.
23	* DumbIsGood: Of the two adults in town that are nice to JD, one of them is a mentally challenged ManChild.
24	* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: Inverted - JD was Kung-Fu Fighting everybody else.
25	* FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit: Judge Josh, complete with Panama hat.
26	* FauxAffablyEvil: Judge Josh puts on a very jovial demeanor for most of the townsfolk in Texas City, [[TheBarnum but it's pretty obvious that he's an egomaniacal despot who only sees his constituents as exploitable rubes and/or his personal goon squad]], and any attempt he makes at being good-natured is tainted by his naturally slimy, smarmy demeanor.
27	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Arney]] steps in to keep JD from being executed by Wade, and ends up gut-shot for his troubles.
28	* InformedAbility: Strode is made out to be a menacing, dangerous brute of a man. He turns out to be a paunchy bully who gets his ass kicked by JD at every turn. In the end it's HIS right hand man, Deputy Boles, who gives JD the most trouble and fights him at the climax.
29	* GondorCallsForAid: During the climax, Arlene manages to get to a CB radio and put out a distress call.
30	* JustAFleshWound: JD is gut-shot from less than three feet away with a normal caliber bullet by Wade, yet he is able to rescue his brother and fight Boles in a long, drawn out brawl as if it were just a minor inconvenience.
31	* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Arney, though his brother, Wade, seems to make sure Arney doesn't know they are doing anything illegal.
32	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Wade's reaction after [[spoiler: killing Arney]].
33	* NeutralFemale: DefiedTrope. As soon as Arlene learns JD is in trouble, she manages to escape from Judge Josh's goons and call for help.
34	* NoEnding: Once the climactic showdown between JD and Boles is over, one quick shot of the burning remains of Texas City later and roll credits.
35	* NoodleIncident: It's never made clear how Tex Trimmings was killed. Arlene claims [[OffingTheOffspring Judge Josh was responsible]], and the judge's accusation that [[AwfulWeddedLife Arlene drove Tex away by being a nagging shrew of a wife]] is clearly a lie, but otherwise nothing more is shared about how Tex died.
36	* PoliceAreUseless: The California Highway Patrol seemingly stays away from Texas City. The Texas City cops are all Judge Josh's goons.
37	* PosthumousCharacter: Tex Trimmings, Judge Josh's son and Arlene's husband, who the judge exploits the memory of in order to fire up the townsfolk, even when Arlene makes it clear that Tex hated Josh's guts, and claims he met his demise because Josh [[TheFettered couldn't corrupt him.]]
38	* RoaringRampageOfRescue: The army of truckers who form TheCavalry at the end. A big part of the reason they ride in to help JD is that ItsPersonal.
39	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The main force of the plot, though JD is a bit light on the "roaring" part...[[spoiler: up until he sees Boles brutalizing his tied-up brother, at which point it becomes VERY literal when he kicks Boles through a wall while letting out a battle cry.]]
40	* SmallTownTyrant: Judge Josh, to the letter.
41	* SmugSnake: Judge Josh. He is very aware that he owns that miserable town and flagrantly abuses his power every chance he gets.
42	* SoiledCityOnAHill: Texas City. The movie ends with the town destroyed.
43	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The only named character whose fate we know for sure is [[spoiler:Arney]]. See NoEnding.
44	* WretchedHive: Texas City apparently runs on moonshine running and truck hijacking. They were openly boasting about it in a town hall meeting JD walks in on.

Context Film / BreakerBreaker